PSU Athletics announces annual department awards

Jun 16, 2005

PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Six of the top
student-athletes at Plymouth State University have been honored
with the announcement of the athletic department's annual awards
for 2004-05.

PSU recognizes the top athletic performances each year with the
Paul E. Arold Male Athlete of the Year Award and the
Janet Nell Female Athlete of the Year Award. The top
scholar-athletes in each gender receive the Van A.
Hartman/Vernon Kelly Awards, and the top seniors are selected
for the John C. Foley Leadership Awards. The awards
all honor former coaches and educators who were pioneers in the
development of athletics at Plymouth State.

Senior men's basketball star Nick Pelotte
(Bingham, Maine) is the Paul E. Arold Male Athlete of the
Year. Pelotte received a long list of honors after concluding
a terrific season and career, including All-America and ECAC New
England Player of the Year.

Senior field hockey standout Annie Metz
(Chelmsford, Mass.) is the Janet Nell Female Athlete of the
Year. Metz was named All-New England as well as Little East
Conference Defensive Player of the Year and led the Panthers to the
ECAC New England Championship.

Senior lacrosse midfielder Steve Skinner
(Hingham, Mass.) and senior basketball forward Lauren
Devereaux (Hope Valley, R.I.) are the Van A.
Hartman/Vernon Kelly Award recipients. A four-year starter
and former All-Little East Conference selection, Skinner helped the
lacrosse team to its best season in years. A biology major,
he receives the award for the second straight year. Devereaux, a
childhood studies major, earned All-Conference honors after leading
the team in scoring and rebounding and was also named to the
ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team.

Senior wrestler Nate Kittredge (Vergennes, Vt.)
and senior softball pitcher Kim Jeffs (Stoughton,
Mass.), are the recipients of the John C. Foley Leadership
Awards. Kittredge won the New England Championship at 184
pounds and advanced to the NCAA Championship meet, finishing his
career with over 100 career victories. Jeffs earned All-LEC
honors for the fourth straight season and finished her career as
one of the top pitchers in NCAA Division III history and graduated
with a degree in meteorology.

All of the award recipients were co-captains of their teams and
will be honored in a formal ceremony at PSU this fall.
Complete profiles of the student-athletes follow.

Nick Pelotte, Basketball (Sr., Bingham, Maine)
(Co-captain)

Third Team All-America (National Assoc. of Basketball
Coaches)...Fourth Team All-America (D3hoops.com)...ECAC New England
Player of the Year...ECAC All-New England 1st Team...All-Little
East Conference 1st Team...N.H. Coaches Association MVP...Ranked
3rd in the nation in scoring (28.1 points/game)...Led Little East
Conference in scoring and assists (4.55/game)...named Most
Outstanding Player in LEC Tournament after registering PSU-record
62 points and 13 assists in championship game (3rd highest scoring
game in country)...LEC Player of the Week four times and ECAC New
England Player of the Week three times...third player in school
history to score more than 2,000 points (2,111)...Led PSU to 3rd
place in LEC regular season and third straight appearance in LEC
championship game...PSU advanced to ECAC Tournament (fourth
straight post-season berth), but was upset in 1st round.

Annie Metz, Field Hockey (Sr., Chelmsford, Mass.)
(Co-Captain)

Named All-New England West Region First Team (one of only four
non-NESCAC players among the 32 selections)...Named Little East
Conference Defensive Player of the Year and First Team
All-Star...Little East Conference Defensive Player of the Week once
(one of only two non-goalies to win award)...anchored a Panther
defense that allowed only 27 goals in 19 games... also contributed
to the offense with six goals and three assists after registering
only one assist in her first three seasons...PSU finished second in
the LEC in the regular season and finished runner-up in the LEC
Tournament...PSU made its fifth straight post-season appearance,
capturing the ECAC New England Championship and finishing with an
18-4 overall record, setting the program record for wins in a
season.

Steve Skinner, Lacrosse (Sr., Hingham, Mass.)
(Co-Captain)

3.67 GPA...Biology major...Chemistry minor....Received 2004 Van
Hartman/Vernon Kelly Award.... Teacher's Assistant and tutor in
Anatomy and Physiology....Human Anatomy and Physiology
Undergraduate Fellowship...member of PSU's Science Society...Hunter
Barton Academic Scholarship ...Abstract published in Journal of
Neurobiology...participated in Dartmouth College's Medical Student
for a Day program...team co-captain the past three seasons...
overcame several injuries this year to lead team to its best season
in several years...starter as attackman...nominated for Academic
All-America the past two years...First Team All-Little East
Conference in 2004, when he tied for the team lead and ranked
fourth in the conference in scoring (25 goals, 12 assists, 37
points)...organized several fund-raising events...Received team's
Panther Award...."Our best leader off the field and the best player
on the team," said Coach Andrew Brauch.

Lauren Devereaux, Basketball (Sr., Hope Valley, R.I.)
(Co-captain)

3.85 GPA...Childhood Studies Major (Teacher Cert.
Option)...History minor...Earned perfect 4.0 GPA in Fall semester
2004... Kappa Delta Pi (International Honor Society in
Education)...Who's Who Among Student's in American Universities and
Colleges... All-Little East Conference Second Team...selected to
the New England Senior All-Star game ...led PSU in scoring,
rebounding and field goal percentage...ranked ninth in the
conference in both scoring and rebounding, and second in field goal
percentage... All-New Hampshire First Team (N.H. Women's Basketball
Coaches Assoc.)...All-Tournament Team at Swarthmore Tip-Off
Tournament...Little East Conference Player of the Week once and
Weekly Honor Roll twice...named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic
All-District Team...Received team's Panther Award...Spoke on behalf
of PSU student-athletes at the dedication of the Vailas Performance
Center...Served on Student Senate and as Admissions Tour
Guide...Received Admissions Undergraduate Fellowship..."Lauren has
been an outstanding role model for PSU Women's Basketball and our
Athletic Dept.," said Coach Lauren Lavigne.

Nate Kittredge, Wrestling (Sr., Vergennes, Vt.)
(Co-captain)

Captured New England Championship at 184 pounds, and qualified
for the NCAA Championships...finished season with a 31-8 overall
record and nine pins, leading the team in wins...Placed first at
the PSU Invitational, and was named the tournament's Outstanding
Wrestler...captured 100th career win in last regular season match,
and completed career with 105-23 record...."Nate earned an
incredible amount of respect from his coaches and teammates. It was
not his performance at the New England Championships that was so
impressive; it was his incredible work ethic during the season that
provided such a positive example. Nate was also a role model off
the mat as a captain, helping turn the wrestlers into positive
leaders in the community," said Coach Jason Holder.

Kim Jeffs, Softball (Sr., Stoughton, Mass.)
(Co-captain)

All-Little East Conference First Team...Four-time All-LEC pick,
three times on the First Team...former two-time All-America
(2002-03) and LEC Pitcher of the Year...finished career as one of
the all-time leading pitchers in NCAA Division III history....holds
several NCAA records as well as every PSU single-game,
single-season and career pitching mark...named Most Outstanding
Player in the 2003 ECAC New England Tournament after leading PSU to
the championship.... Featured in Sports Illustrated's Faces In The
Crowd in 2002, and featured on the back page of The NCAA News in
2004 for her interest in her meteorology major as well as her
softball success...."Kim has represented PSU with dignity, class
and grace, on and off the softball field. Her commitment to both
softball and her meteorology degree was extraordinary! Kim is one
of the best student-athletes PSU has ever had," said Coach Bruce
Addison.